


people are strange (when you're unwanted)

by evelinaonline



Series: People Are Strange [1]
Category: The Umbrella Academy (TV)
Genre: Ben Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Gen, Klaus Hargreeves Needs A Hug, Klaus Hargreeves is Bad at Feelings, No Incest, POV Klaus Hargreeves, POV Third Person, Reverted Apocalypse, Sober Klaus Hargreeves, obviously none of that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-06
Updated: 2020-07-06
Packaged: 2021-03-05 00:29:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25115431
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/evelinaonline/pseuds/evelinaonline
Summary: “I died too,” Klaus said, anger finding its way back inside his body. “Remember that? Luther, the rave? I even met God and everything, so really, I don’t see why you gotta keep—”“It’s not the same!”Ben yelled. He yelled, and Ben never yelled, even if he was furious, which meant there was more to it, and Klaus—Klaus was an idiot. He was a fucking idiot.(aka: In which Klaus gets into a fight with literally everyone, but it all works out in the end.)
Relationships: Ben Hargreeves & Klaus Hargreeves, Dave/Klaus Hargreeves (mentioned), Klaus Hargreeves & Everyone
Series: People Are Strange [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1819156
Comments: 59
Kudos: 716





	people are strange (when you're unwanted)

**Author's Note:**

> I am so sorry for disappearing on you guys last month. I started classes again (yes, I know, classes in July, it's as awful as it sounds) so my schedule has been a bit packed. But I'm back!
> 
> Title is from "People Are Strange" by The Doors (but I changed the order of the lyrics, so that it will fit with the rest of the fic-series.)
> 
> Big thanks to [totallyevan](https://archiveofourown.org/users/totallyevan) for being my beta once again. Count on your siblings to give you the constructive critisism you need.

Klaus never liked family meetings.

Even after their topic had switched from ' _How the hell do we stop the apocalypse?'_ to ' _What the hell do we do now that there is no apocalypse?'_ , they somehow still managed to be the most intense part of the week. Indecisiveness that led to arguments, arguments that led to fights… It really shouldn't have surprised Klaus that Luther and Diego weren't the only ones capable of snapping.

When Ben had walked out without a word during their discussion about a family vacation—they were thinking of either staying at the seaside or renting a cabin in the woods, but it didn't really matter; Klaus just wanted to get away from the Academy for a few days—the room fell into silence, everyone exchanging worried looks. Well. Everyone except Klaus.

"What just happened?" Allison asked and Klaus glanced around the room. Clearly the rest of his siblings shared the same question.

"Yeah, he does that sometimes," Klaus said, still lying on the couch and playing with the ends of his hair. It was getting long again. He'd need a haircut soon.

"… Are you sure?" Diego said. "Because Ben doesn't… It's not like him to…?"

Ah. Of course. Klaus should have known that's what it was about.

While Klaus had been oh-so fortunate to spend the past decade haunted by Number Six, his siblings had learned to live in his absence. It wasn't as if they had spent enough quality time together after reverting the apocalypse either; Klaus was still working on keeping him manifested for long periods of time, especially from a long distance. His family didn't know Ben. Not really. Not anymore. All they had left of him was a memory, a facade he'd long left behind.

Maybe it wasn't like teenage-Ben to walk out on a conversation like this, but dead-Ben? The Ben that Klaus knew? Not only did he walk away on a relatively regular basis when he was upset, but also lashed out, letting Klaus know _exactly_ what it was he was mad about.

Klaus sighed, not quite meeting anyone's gaze. "People _change_ , Diego dear," he said. "Dead people, especially."

For a second, he really thought that was it. That they'd drop it and continue making vacation plans just like they were _supposed_ to do, but Klaus could practically feel another round of glances being exchanged.

"But there has to be a reason, right?" Vanya asked.

Klaus shrugged. Did his siblings honestly think that just because he could see the dead, he knew what it was like to be one of them? That night at the rave had been long ago, but he was sure he'd remember if God waved a document with the words ' _Congratulations! You Died! Read the Terms and Conditions on your Behavioral Changes below,'_ in front of his face.

"Couldn't it be, I don't know, trauma?" Klaus offered, knowing fully well that Ben would have glared at him if he was there.

"A reason as to why he walked out, Klaus," Luther said. A hint of disappointment—that he was desperately trying to suppress—was very much visible in Number One's tone. "Of course he... Of course he has changed. But, uh… there has to be something more to it, right?"

Klaus, now sitting up, clapped his hands on his knees. "I seem to have lost you, brother mine."

"What Luther is _trying_ to say," Five said, not doing a great job at hiding his annoyance either, "is that it's highly doubtful that walking out was Ben's way of showing he's pleased."

Klaus snorted. "Well, that's certainly how _you'd_ show it." He knew he was pushing it—Five's glare told him more than enough—but he didn't really care. He stood up, walking around the couch as he spoke, in the most theatrical voice he could muster. "Maybe he's simply overjoyed, you know? Overjoyed about… sunbathing." He came to a halt, clapping his hands again. "Yeah, sunbathing! In some golden beach in Australia or Greece or wherever we're going—"

"Klaus," Diego said, a warning tone in his voice.

Klaus found himself huffing dismissively without even meaning to. "God, you're just like Ben," he muttered under his breath, and since when was he comparing the way he was treated by the rest of his family to the way Ben was treating him? He managed another glance around the living room, only to see that everyone was staring at him. Great. "What? What did I do now?"

Allison and Diego both scoffed and looked away, Luther shook his head in defeat, and Five and Vanya stayed exactly as they were; staring at him.

"Just… Will you check on him?"

Klaus tried not to be mad at Vanya for asking, but he couldn't help it. _Of course_ they wanted him to go after Ben. _Of course_ that's what this was about.

On days where he just couldn't get his powers to work, Klaus had been more than welcome to pass on messages from Ben to the others, to stand to the side and help them communicate. It'd been sweet, really, and kinda fun, to see his family _act_ like an actual family.

But now Ben was corporeal. Or, well, had been, a few minutes ago, until he walked outside, far from Klaus' range. There was no reason for Klaus to intervene, and yet he was being asked to do just that, once again.

That's all he was to them. Ben's messenger.

"Klaus."

Five's voice snapped him back into reality, but Klaus wasn't so sure he was grateful for it. Instead, he nodded, a not-so-friendly grin decorating his face. "You know what?" He nodded more intensely this time. "Sure. I'll go check on Ben for you."

He almost didn't recognize the poison in his voice. He'd really made an effort in playing the good sibling role, and according to Ben— _ha!_ —that meant no offensive comments, no passive aggressiveness, no ignoring everyone…

"Klaus, come on," Luther said. "You know that's not what we meant."

"' _We_ ' meant?" Klaus said, letting himself chuckle. "Oh, so you've had time to think about it. What you'd tell me to do if Ben got tired of you all."

"Klaus—"

"I'm not your fucking courier!" he yelled.

"Of course you're not," Allison said, taking a step closer to him. "We never said that you were."

"You thought of it," Klaus said, shaking his head. "Because that's all I'm useful for, isn't it? Talking to Ben?"

For a moment, the only sound in the mansion was Vanya's leg rubbing against the fabric of the couch opposite to Klaus as she bounced it.

"Klaus," Luther said, seemingly taken aback by his outburst. He exchanged a quick look with Diego, then Allison. "Are you…?"

Klaus should have known where this was going.

"Because you can talk to us, if you are."

He really should have known.

Klaus couldn't help the deep row of giggles that escaped him. A bitter laugh. He hated it, but he couldn't stop it. He didn't _want_ to. "If I'm what?" he said. "High? Using? On drugs? What's it gonna be, Luther?"

"I didn't—"

"We both know what you meant," Klaus interrupted. "I honestly don't know why I'm even surprised."

"Klaus, come on—"

"I'll talk to Ben for you," he said bitterly, reaching for the door that led to the courtyard. He was about to exit, but then he turned around again, to take one final look of his family. "Then maybe he can talk to you about my drug habits."

Without another word, he stormed out.

He wanted to hate them for what had just happened, but he couldn't. He was certainly angry though. Furious. He was so angry that his face was burning and his chest hurt and he wanted to scream, but didn't want to be heard. Not like this, anyway.

But hey. There was one more person in this family left to disappoint.

Ben was standing in the middle of the courtyard. His back was turned on Klaus, but it didn't take much thinking to know what he was looking at. Ben's statue lay proudly on its side, a few meters away from its empty pedestal, and just a bit further was its head. It'd been weeks, but no one had bothered to clean up after the incident at the funeral. Klaus hated to admit it, but he understood why. It wasn't a very pleasant sight.

For a second, Klaus hesitated. If he were honest with himself, Ben was exactly who he needed. Ben _knew_ him. He'd never wrongly accuse Klaus of taking drugs, of not trying enough. Sure, he could be a pushover, but so could Klaus.

And then he remembered the way Diego had scolded him, in the exact same tone as Ben did, and the doubts started to roll in.

Ben had been in a mood for days, and Klaus hated it when Ben was in a mood. He got cranky and quiet and shot him judgy looks, and it was the worst. The last thing Klaus wanted was another argument. Especially not one that would remind him of what had just happened inside.

For a second, Klaus felt the anger from before rising in him again. It was so unfair. The others were probably back to acting as if nothing had happened, and Klaus was boiling with anger. Was this how Ben had felt when Klaus made promise after promise to stop taking drugs, and then invited himself into the first bar on the street?

Maybe that was how Ben was feeling right now. Klaus just didn't know why. He supposed he would find out soon enough.

Ben had seemingly not noticed he was there and—no. Ben always knew when Klaus was there. He was simply ignoring him.

Klaus knew he shouldn't have been angry at him for it, but he'd already dealt with enough bullshit today.

"So, do you also wanna murder me in my sleep?" he asked, only to be met with the silent treatment again. _Fuck you,_ Klaus wanted to say, but didn't. Couldn't. It wasn't Ben's fault the others had yelled at him, although Klaus would have really appreciated the backup.

Perhaps cheering him up would do the trick.

"At least your statue is decapitated now," Klaus said. He immediately regretted it once he saw Ben's body freeze.

"What?" Ben said, without turning around to look at him.

"Oh, you know," Klaus said, trying to play it off cool. "Our dear brothers' big fight has happened in this timeline, so _your_ honor has finally lost his head." Klaus pointed at the forgotten piece of metal on the ground. "You did always say you hate it."

Ben didn't reply.

"Still, wonder why they haven't cleaned up after their mess." He should have shut up there and then. "When _I_ screw up, it's always like 'Klaus, why did you make such a mess in my closet!' and 'Klaus, jump in the trashcan to find daddy dearest's diary!'" _Shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up._ "You'd think they'd have told Luther and Diego to clean up by now—"

"You think this is funny?"

Klaus swallowed. He shut up a little bit too late.

"Um… No. But you have to admit, you did always hate the damn thing—"

"Because I died," Ben said.

"Because it doesn't look like you," Klaus corrected. He and Ben had spent so many nights making fun of the so-called sculpture in the yard. It'd been about the only positive thing that came out of Ben's funeral.

"Because I _died_ ," Ben repeated.

Klaus scoffed, and suddenly, he didn't care as to why Ben was acting weird. He knew perfectly well how much Klaus hated it when he threw the dead card around.

Klaus wasn't going to stand there and take it anymore. Not when, after everything they'd been through, he had the same card to pull.

"I died too," Klaus said, anger finding its way back inside his body. "Remember that? Luther, the rave? I even met God and everything, so really, I don't see why you gotta keep—"

" _It's not the same!"_

Ben yelled. He _yelled_ , and Ben never yelled, even if he was furious, which meant there was more to it, and Klaus—

Klaus was an idiot. He was a fucking idiot.

Ben wasn't angry. He wasn't moody. He was sad. Desperate. _Scared._

And Klaus knew more than well what that felt like.

"You're right." Klaus took a step forward, rubbing his hands together and trying to speak as calmly as possible. "You're right, it's not, I'm sorry, I just—You gotta help me here, Ben. Because I can't help you if I don't know what's going on, and I don't."

Klaus prepared himself for Ben's next outburst, but it never came. Instead came a sigh, and to his surprise, Ben finally turned around to face him.

His hands were buried in his pockets, as if he couldn't reach deep enough. His hood shadowed over his expression, and really, Klaus should have realised there was something very wrong just by that alone. Ben never wore his hood that high up unless there was something really bothering him. Still, Klaus could see the glimmer in Ben's eyes clearly, telling him he was close to crying, if he hadn't already.

"I'm sorry," Ben said, leaning against the empty base of his statue.

"You don't have to—"

"No," Ben interrupted. "I do. I'm sorry for yelling and for…" He pinched the crook of his nose. "For acting such an asshole before. And leaving you alone. I'm sorry."

Klaus tried to think of a way to fill the silence. He swallowed, then took the final few steps that separated him and Ben, and leaned next to him against the base of the statue. "It's okay," he said, then bit his lip. "Do you… want to talk about it?"

Ben huffed. Almost a laugh. That was good.

"God, no," he said, crossing one leg on top of the other. Klaus hadn't even realised he'd been looking down at their legs. "It's just… I don't know. It doesn't really feel like it's over, I guess."

"Tell me about it," Klaus mumbled, and only realised he'd unconsciously reached for the dog tags around his neck after he made contact with the cool metal.

There was silence again. Not quite comfortable, but not awkward either. It was the same silence that thinly hovered between them during the nights that the ghosts got too much to handle. When Klaus couldn't take it anymore, swallowed two pills, and mouthed a quiet apology to Ben who couldn't do anything about it. When something was wrong, but there was no way out of it.

"And—" Ben suddenly stood up, but interrupted himself before he could get a cohesive sentence out of his mouth. The sudden movement made Klaus jump slightly, and his eyes flickered up to meet Ben's. He didn't know what to say, but he hoped his silence would encourage him to continue.

Hoped. Because he didn't actually know what Ben would do. Since when was Klaus uncertain of what his brother, who spent every single day of the last decade by his side, would do? They acted a lot like strangers these days. He didn't like it.

"And," Ben tried again, "I'm still getting used to—Well, not used to, that's not the right expression, but… you know, how you were gone, how you—"

"Ben," Klaus said. It was becoming painful to see him struggle. "I came back. I'm… I'm alive. I'm okay. As you said, it's really not the same—"

"No, not that," Ben said, and Klaus tilted his head as to show him he had no idea what he was talking about. Ben sighed, relaxing his shoulders, and leaning back again. "You're… grieving," he said, and pointed to Klaus' chest with his eyes.

The dog tags.

Oh.

_Oh._

Klaus tightened his grip around them. He looked down too, for just a second, because he couldn't quite bring himself to face the only thing he had left of the man he loved yet. He tried to focus on something else; the newly planted tulips in front of them would do for a bit.

"Klaus, ever since I died, you've… _I've_ been with you. And suddenly, it's not the same for you, and I'm not saying it's your fault, but—I just." Klaus noticed Ben burying his hands back in his pockets with the corner of his eye. "In and out of a bus. That's all it took for you to… change."

Klaus nodded. He tried to speak, but his throat was suddenly too dry to even attempt it.

"Because you've changed, Klaus, and I—" Ben sighed again, tilting his head back. Klaus wasn't trying to look away anymore. "And then you got sober, and suddenly your biggest issue is where we'll go for fucking vacation—You got sober for _him_. And I'm happy you did, because God knows how much you deserve this, but I don't _understand_."

Once more, it was like all the puzzle pieces clicked together.

Ben had spent every last second of the past thirteen years looking after Klaus, trying to get him to sober up. And Klaus had never listened to him. Not in the long run, at least, but he wasn't going to pretend as if his visits to rehab were him making an effort.

He'd made an effort for Dave.

And Ben who knew him better than anyone, Ben who was his best friend and his family, he didn't know who Dave was, not really. There was an entire year of Klaus' life that he couldn't wrap his head around, because he hadn't been there, like every other second.

And Klaus didn't know what to say to that.

He felt so stupid for not noticing before, how bothered Ben was by it; not knowing.

Klaus barely talked about Dave. About Vietnam. About the world behind the briefcase. He couldn't even think about it all without breaking into tears, so putting everything into words was…

Klaus didn't know how to do this.

In the end, he settled for, "You look like shit."

And Ben laughed.

It wasn't a long laugh nor a happy one. But it was laughter, and Klaus hadn't heard it in a long time, so he couldn't help but laugh too.

"Thank you," Ben said, eventually, a hint of sarcasm in his voice. "That was exactly what I wanted to hear."

And they laughed again. It lasted much longer this time, to the point Klaus' ribs actually started hurting. He hadn't realised how much he'd missed this; laughing things away they definitely shouldn't. Taking a few minutes to ignore everything else in the world, until it was just the two of them. Ben and Klaus. Broken beyond repair.

They'd need to work on that last one.

They'd ended up sitting on the ground, backs pressed against the cold base of Ben's statue. The silence was around them now—not between them, like before. They were both grinning from ear to ear, as if there was a mutual understanding that Klaus didn't quite… understand, but he _felt_ it, and that was more than enough.

He felt much more confident now.

"I would have done it, you know," he said, and Ben shot him a confused look. "Stayed sober for you, I mean."

Ben shook his head, but not the smile off his face. "Yeah, I've heard that one before."

Klaus wasn't having it.

"No, listen to me," he said, turning slightly to his right so he could be face to face with Ben. "I would have done it, but I didn't _need_ to." Ben huffed, and Klaus felt his heart pound faster in his chest. Why were words so hard, and why were they needed for him to get his point across?

Except they weren't. Words weren't needed.

Klaus took a deep breath, bringing his fists together. Within seconds, a glow surrounded his hands and Ben, before disappearing again as Klaus exhaled. He gave Ben a knowing look, and once his brother nodded in return, he reached out and held his hand between his.

"I didn't need to get sober," Klaus repeated, stroking Ben's hand gently, and scooting close to him so their knees were touching. "Because I could always see you."

Klaus could practically hear Ben thinking, and when it finally clicked, he let go of a silent gasp.

"But you couldn't see Dave."

Klaus nodded. Ben bit his lip, releasing his hand from Klaus' grip and taking both of Klaus' hands into his. Klaus couldn't help but squeeze them, a reminder that Ben really was there. Ben squeezed back.

"You two would have gotten along great," Klaus said.

Ben raised an eyebrow. "You think so?"

Klaus smiled and nodded. "Well, both of you are keen on mothering me, so— _ow!"_ Klaus yelped as Ben pulled on his hands a little bit too hard to tease him. "Are you _trying_ to pull my arms off?"

Ben shrugged. "Thought my decapitated head could use some company."

A snort escaped Klaus. "Always so thoughtful."

"Aren't I?" Ben said, and then it was Klaus turn to pull. "Hey—ouch— _Klaus!"_ he yelped through a laugh and released his hands to stretch. "This really hurts on the shoulders."

"Now you know what pain feels like, Mr Ghost," Klaus said. "And as a matter of fact, Dave's the one that said you two would get along for taking care of me."

"So you admit it at last—" Ben paused, and his expression changed. "Dave knows about me?"

Although Klaus couldn't see himself, he imagined his expression was similar to Ben's. Staring in disbelief, or something along these lines. He wasn't used to seeing Ben so confused, so vulnerable.

"Of course he knows about you," Klaus said, clearing his throat. "I mean, he asked about my family, so… Who else was I supposed to talk about, Diego?"

Ben shrugged. "Well, did you?"

"Yeah, a bit," Klaus said, and when Ben slapped his knee in return, Klaus let him. "I wish you could have met him."

He didn't know what he was expecting. He'd already said too much about Dave than he possibly could in a day, and Ben had probably heard too much than he wanted to anyway. When he felt the hand on his knee squeeze against it, he couldn't help but look up to look into Ben's reassuring eyes.

"I will."

It was a promise. Ben didn't need to clarify it. And it was a promise that Klaus wanted to come true more than any other one.

Klaus held his breath and nodded, suddenly much too aware of the tension he'd been suppressing in his body ever since the start of the conversation, ever since his fight with the others, ever since too-long-ago. He bit his lip, finally letting his tears roll down his cheeks, and if Ben did the same, he didn't know, because he was being pulled into a much-needed embrace.

Klaus didn't know how long they spent there, on the dirty ground, nor did he care. All he knew was that for the first time in years, he truly felt as if things were turning out for the better.

**Author's Note:**

> In conclusion: I miss Ben and Klaus so much (and I can't believe we're going to see them again in twnety-five days!)
> 
> I'm planning on writing at least two more fics for this series, one from Ben's POV, and one from the other siblings' POVs. (But knowing me, I could end up writing a fic per sibling... time will tell.) Anyway, keep an eye out if you're interested in that!
> 
> And come talk to me [on tumblr (evelinaonline)](https://evelinaonline.tumblr.com/)! I scream about TUA—mostly Ben—every day there. (I attempted a [S2-inspired/quarantine/closet Klaus cosplay](https://evelinaonline.tumblr.com/post/622834166946496512/klaus-cosplay-s2-outfit-the-umbrella) recently, so... there's that uwu)
> 
> Finally, I would like to link the [Black Lives Matter carrd](https://blacklivesmatters.carrd.co/). I've been vocal about the movement on my other social media, but I decided to also speak up here. Sign petitions, raise your voice, keep yourself updated. BLM isn't a trend, it's reality.
> 
> Thanks for reading, I hope you have a great day <3


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